Why we are going back to the Moon

Paul D. Spudis

The recent release of the details of NASA’s proposed plans
for human return to the Moon in response to President Bush’s new Vision for
Space Exploration of last year has drawn much comment:some positive, some negative, and some
simply perplexed.

Although the reasons for undertaking the new Vision were
clearly articulated in the President’s speech, it is important to re-examine
why the Moon is the cornerstone of the Vision and what we hope to achieve by
returning there.

The Moon is important for three reasons – science,
inspiration, and resources.All three
aspects are directly served by the new lunar return architecture.Implementation of this program has the
potential to make significant contributions to our national economy and
welfare.

The Moon is a scientific laboratory of extraordinary
facility, richness, and benefit.The
history of our corner of the Solar System for the last 4 billion years is
preserved and readable in the ancient dust of the lunar surface.This record is lost on the dynamic and ever
changing surface of the Earth.Other
planets do not record the same events affecting Earth and the Moon, including
impacts, space particles, and the detailed history of our Sun.The recovery of this record will let us
better understand the impact hazard in the Earth-Moon system as well as unravel
the processes and evolution of our Sun, the major driver of climate and life on
Earth.

The Moon is a stable platform to observe the universe. The
far side of the Moon is the only known place in the solar system permanently
shielded from the radio noise of the Earth.That uniqueness allows observation of the sky at radio wavelengths never
before seen.Every time we open a new
spectral window on the universe, we find unexpectedand astounding phenomena; there is no reason to expect anything
different from the opening of new windows on the universe from the surface of
the Moon.

The Moon is close in space (only three days away) yet a
separate world filled with mysteries, landscapes and treasures.By embracing the inspiring and difficult
task of living and working on the Moon, we can learn how to explore a planetary
surface and how the combined efforts of both humans and machines enable new levels
of productive exploration.

In 21st century America, our existence depends on
an educated, technically literate workforce, motivated and schooled in complex
scientific disciplines.Tackling the
challenges of creating a functioning society off-planet will require not only
the best technical knowledge we can muster, but also the best
imaginations.One cannot develop a
creative imagination, the renewable resource of a vibrant society, without
confronting and surmounting unknowns and challenges on new frontiers.

Although of fairly ordinary composition, the Moon contains
the resources of material and energy that we need to both survive and operate
in space.With its resources and
proximity to Earth, the Moon is a natural logistics and supply base, an
offshore island of useful commodities for use on the Moon, in space, and
ultimately, back on Earth.

Water is an extremely valuable commodity in space – in its
liquid form, it supports human life and it can be broken down into its two
components, hydrogen and oxygen.These
elements make the highest energy chemical rocket propellant known.Water exists in the dark and cold regions
near the poles of the Moon.Scientists
estimate that each pole contains more than 10 billion tons of water, enough to
launch a fully fueled Space Shuttle once a day, every day for over 39
years.The ability to make fuel on the
Moon will allow routine access to Earth-Moon space, the zone in which all of
our space assets reside.

The Moon’s slow rotation, unclouded skies, and abundant
local materials make it possible to build installations specifically designed
to harvest solar energy on the Moon.Solar power, collected on the Moon and beamed to the Earth and
throughout Earth-Moon space, provides a clean and reliable energy source not
only for space-based applications, but ultimately, for users on the Earth as
well.Lunar solar power solves the
apparent “show stopper” of other space-based solar power systems – the high
cost of getting the solar arrays into space.Instead of launching arrays from the deep gravity well of Earth, we will
use the local soil and make hundreds of tons of solar panels on the Moon.

Living on the Moon will expand the sphere of human and
robotic activity in space beyond low Earth orbit.To become a multi-planet species, we must master the skills of
extracting local resources, build capability to journey and explore in hostile
regions, and create new reservoirs of human culture and experience.That long journey begins on the Moon – the
staging ground, supply station, and classroom for our voyage into the universe.